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Wild Chase Ends In Worcester

BERLIN- Two Baltimore men were arrested on numerous charges including assaulting a police officer after a high-speed chase through three counties last Friday that began with a traffic stop in Cambridge and ended in a ditch along Friendship Rd. in Berlin.

A little before 11 p.m. last Friday, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputies received a report from Dorchester County about a high-speed vehicle pursuit heading east on Route 50. According to police reports, a silver Acura, driven by Vernon A. Cooper, 22, of Middle River, along with a passenger, identified as Davon Fuqua, 26, of Baltimore, had been stopped in Cambridge for a traffic violation.

During the traffic stop, Cambridge Police observed illegal drugs in plain view within the vehicle. During a subsequent search, Cooper then allegedly sped off, assaulting a Cambridge officer in the process by running over the officer’s foot. A short time later, Wicomico Sheriff’s Deputies received a report about a pursuit heading their way on Route 50. Wicomico deputies picked up the pursuit in the area of the Route 50 bypass around Salisbury, where the chase reached speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour.

At one point, Cooper slowed the Acura to a stop on the Route 50 bypass in an apparent attempt to allow Wicomico deputies to detain him. However, as Wicomico deputies stopped and got out of their vehicle to approach the suspects, Cooper took off again after attempting to ram the Wicomico deputies’ vehicles. The pursuit then continued on eastbound Route 50 toward Worcester County.

Maryland State Police troopers from the Berlin barrack were advised of the pursuit and attempted to deploy stop sticks to deflate the suspect vehicle’s tires in the area of Routes 50 and 589 near Berlin. However, the Acura was traveling too fast for the troopers to deploy the stop sticks in time and the pursuit continued east on Route 50.

Cooper then turned the Acura left onto Friendship Rd. across from Stephen Decatur Highway and the MSP troopers continued the chase. According to police reports, the chase reached speeds in excess of 120 mph along rural, residential Friendship Rd. The chase ended when Cooper was unable to stop at the intersection of Friendship Rd. and Old Worcester Highway (Route 575) and drove into a ditch.

Cooper and Fuqua were not seriously injured, but both were taken to PRMC in Salisbury as a precaution. Cooper left a trail of charges in his wake in three different counties. In Dorchester, he has been charged with two counts of assault, reckless endangerment and numerous traffic violations. In Wicomico, Cooper has been charged with assault and nine traffic violations, and in Worcester County, the suspect has been charged with possession of marijuana and a total of 22 moving violations from fleeing and eluding, to speeding to failure to control speed to avoid a collision.